Beautiful In My Eyes
by Saya Moonshadow
Summary: When your life is in my hands and I'm squeezing it out of you, will you love me then? The story of a Vortixx without purpose, and his process of going from nobody to nightmare.
1. I

**This is actually one of my older works, completed about a month or so before I began writing **_**The Road Not Taken**_**. Originally this was posted only on BZPower, under the title of "Extasis" and using Linkin Park's "Breaking the Habit". Truth be told, it's probably one of the best things I've ever written.**

**Anyway, it's an epic on my OC, Mano, who features prominently in TRNT. Hopefully this will help dispel any confusion from the admittedly garbled facts about him in TRNT. Although, this fic fits both in with the TRNT-verse and with his place in the regular universe. Just so you know.**

**Disclaimer: Pretty much anyone you don't recognize as canon is mine. Everyone else is property of The LEGO Company. "Licking ****Crème****" is property of Sevendust.**

**Summary: When your life is in my hands and I'm squeezing it out of you, will you love me then? The story of a Vortixx without purpose, learning what it's like to be the strong one in his life.**

**Beautiful In My Eyes  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_Corrupt my hope  
In joyous hell..."_

X x X

It was on a cold, rainy day that the baby was born.

His parents were disappointed - from the minute he came out into open air, the child did nothing but cry. Strong beings don't cry. He was also a boy. On Xia, males were virtually worthless. It was the dream of nearly every married couple on that island to be blessed with a daughter who might one day become queen of Xia. It was just how things were. The females took care of the important things, like business deals and ruling, while the males slaved in the factories, working to produce the weapons that Xia was famous for.

His father, Zaku, threw up his hands and left the room.

His mother, Kino, simply sat and stared, exhausted from the labor, the laughter gone from her icy blue eyes. The Xian woman assigned to nurse duty that night shook her head pityingly and said that she hoped they had a nice little girl soon. Boys were a disgrace, after all.

Male Vortixx were lower class.

Female Vortixx ruled all.

It was a protest by the first queen of Xia after the former ruler, Pridak, was banished - why should males always have the ruling power? _On this island,_ she declared, _feminine is higher. Feminine is better._

It soon became apparent that Mano was not like other boys, however. Whereas most young males were able to lift several times their own weight by the time they were four, Mano was only able to lift about three times his own weight. Not only that, but he had to be the strangest little boy on the island. He spoke maybe three words a day, and was constantly staring into space. Desperate, Kino obtained special permission from Queen Tsuyayaka to keep her son at home at all times, hoping to elicit a positive change in the boy.

Unfortunately, Mano seemed not to care. His name, which meant "hand" in an ancient language, particularly intrigued him. And so, the first thing he ever made was a doll.

It couldn't even really be called a doll, Kino later explained to her husband when he came home from work that night. More of a puppet, really - but the strange thing was, was that he actually TALKED to it, had even given it a name. His jaw set, eyes blazing angrily, Zaku went straight into his four year old's room to teach him a lesson. Even Kino, skilled warrior and able to watch the cruelest things be done, had to cover her ears when the screams started.

She never sent her son back to the training center, instead opting to still keep him at home. He would have been killed otherwise, she knew. His would-be partners wouldn't give him a chance. And rather than watch her son be torn apart, she simply kept him at home all the time.

And then, she found out she was pregnant again. Mano was five.

This one, to both hers and Zaku's joy, was a female.

And they named her Roodaka.

X x X

"_Between the lines__  
Lick the cream that smells."  
--Sevendust, "Licking Crème"_

X x X

**AN: First chapter completed...**

**But yeah, compared to my other works from '07, this one's actually somewhat good. One of my best, I think.**

**And yes, "Licking ****Crème****" is kind of creepy. But I think it works here. Mano does find Roodaka to be beautiful, and he's also obsessed with her, or rather, with the idea of killing her. *shrug* No romance between them implied, because that's just nasty.**

**The rest of the chapters will be updated later...**


	2. Wish

**Next chapter...enter Roodaka. The source of grief for quite a few beings, even in canon. And somehow, I still think she's pretty cool.**

**Disclaimer: Pretty much anyone you don't recognize as canon is mine. Everyone else is property of The LEGO Company. "Licking ****Crème****" is property of Sevendust.**

**Summary: When your life is in my hands and I'm squeezing it out of you, will you love me then? The story of a Vortixx without purpose, learning what it's like to be the strong one in his life.**

**Beautiful In My Eyes  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_I wish you weren't so beautiful in my eyes  
Crawling down your spine to make you stay  
I wish you weren't so beautiful in my eyes  
Covering your eyes to make you pay..."_

X x X

Strangely enough, the day that Roodaka was born, there wasn't a drop of rain in sight. That was quite the occurrence, as fiery rain was extremely common. But on Roodaka's birthday, the sun shone.

Her parents considered it a good omen.

Mano really couldn't care less.

He stayed in his room through the whole birth, simply talking to his dolls, which now numbered four. Oddly enough, two of them resembled his parents. One resembled him. And the fourth was nothing more than an unshaped block of wood.

"Mother's stopped screaming." he announced to the one who looked like his father, "She was being quite loud. I wonder if her belly will be back to normal now...that's what you said, right, Father?"

The puppet named "Zaku" raised one arm and made a chopping motion. Mano smiled brightly. "Yes, that's it! And all this emotional nonsense will stop! You're so smart, Father."

Outside the door, Zaku took a moment to marvel at his son's vocabulary. No other five year old in the district spoke like that. Well, that was one thing to be said for staying at home with his genius mother all the time - his speech and vocabulary couldn't be tainted by factory slang. He shook his head. Enhanced speech or not, his son was still a pansy. No proper Xian male was like that.

Out loud, he said, "Mano! Git out here an' meet yore new sister!"

He heard the child's voice stop and the clack of the wooden dolls hitting each other. "Mano? Mano!"

A pair of shuffling feet, coming towards the locked door. It opened, and the kid peered out.

"Coming, Father."

Zaku stared down at him disapprovingly. "Least ya could do's clean up a bit fer yer mother, Mano. She went through a hard labor t'day, that she did."

Mano looked puzzled, then glanced down at himself. He was covered in sawdust shavings from making the toys. "Oh! Sorry Father, I'll go--"

"Not now, ya won't." Zaku grabbed his son by the arm and hauled him off, down the stairs. "Yer gonna go down there an' congratulate yer mother fer havin' a girl an' not another worthless boy."

Mano felt his heart skip a beat. "A...a GIRL?" he asked, grabbing a hold of the railing. His father gave him a vicious tug, and he went sprawling, nearly tumbling all the way down the stairs. "GET!"

"Yes Father." The five year old scrambled up and practically dashed into the area that passed as a sitting room. He stopped. His mother was laying, looking exhausted, on the old couch, a tiny bundle in her arms. To his shock, she was crooning softly to the bundle. After a minute or two, Kino looked up and saw her son standing in the doorway with his father behind him. Her smile broadened. "Mano! Come here and meet your new sister."

He shuffled forward obediently, and his mother opened the hood of the cloth the baby was wrapped in. A tiny face peeked out at him and yawned, then glared up at him with eyes just as blue as his own. He blinked, frowning.

"...she's ugly."

That earned him a sharp slap from his father, and he went sprawling on the floor, clutching his now aching head. He stared up at his parents through wide, tear-filled eyes as his father snarled, "Don't you go wailin' on this baby, y'hear? This un's gonna be great one day, I kin tell. So there'll be no pickin' on yore sister, y'hear that, Mano?"

"Yes, Father." Mano mumbled. He got back on his feet and stumbled over towards the doorway, ready to go back to his room and play with his dolls again.

"Oh, and Mano?"

He turned around. "Yes, Mother?"

Kino smiled again. "Roodaka will be your responsibility from now on. It's your job to keep her safe."

Roodaka...it was a pretty name. In fact, it meant "claw" in the same language that his own name meant "hand". Hand and Claw. The hand to punch, the claw to scar. Somehow, the latter of the two sounded more threatening.

He nodded his head. "Yes, Mother."

That night, the unshaped block of wood became a tiny black Xian baby, wrapped in a white cloth. A pair of blue eyes, made from beads, glared out at him from behind a baleful face.

Oddly enough, when he placed them on his bedside table and climbed into bed for the night, he set them down on the table just so that the baby knocked the figurine representing himself off and onto the floor.

The head came off with a snap.

In the room next to his, Roodaka wailed.

X x X

"_Beyond the high  
Lies burning eyes  
Crashed down to soil  
Fucked up and coiled."  
--Sevendust, "Licking Crème"_

X x X

**AN: Because not every family is loving. This one's pretty dysfunctional though. Haha. There's like...no affection whatsoever. Then again, I'd never pegged the Vortixx race as being very affectionate to begin with. If Roodaka is anything to go by, it's a wonder they haven't all double-crossed each other and killed themselves off by now. Then again, she was stated to be a bit of a special case...**

**And yes, there is a swear word in the song. I thought about changing it to "messed", but to be honest, I DESPISE having to censor things like that for some reason. And I trust we're all mature enough to handle one little swear word, right?**

**Um, yeah. Hope you're enjoying it so far.**


	3. You

**Fun, fun...**

**Disclaimer: Pretty much anyone you don't recognize as canon is mine. Everyone else is property of The LEGO Company. "Licking ****Crème****" is property of Sevendust.**

**Summary: When your life is in my hands and I'm squeezing it out of you, will you love me then? The story of a Vortixx without purpose, learning what it's like to be the strong one in his life.**

**Beautiful In My Eyes  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_I wish you weren't so beautiful in my eyes  
Crawling down your spine to make you stay  
I wish you weren't so beautiful in my eyes  
Covering your eyes to make you pay..."_

X x X

Someone pounded furiously upon his door, and Mano groaned. "Go away!" he yelped, pulling to covers over his head aggravatedly. "'m tired!"

The door opened anyway, revealing a skinny little Vortixx female with cold blue eyes and a sly face. She slammed the door open, making yet another dent in his already battered wall, and strode over to the bed.

"Mother says to WAKE THE FRAG UP!" she screamed in his ear, and he gave another loud yelp, falling straight out of bed, hopelessly tangled in his sheets. His six-year-old sister howled with laughter.

Mano glared. At eleven, he had grown quite a lot and now stood a good five feet, four inches. And he'd only grow taller.

Unfortunately, Roodaka was growing as well. Although much smaller than her older brother, she was still a typical Vortixx female - wily, clever, and much more dangerous than she seemed. She surveyed her brother disdainfully, then said, nose in the air, "Mother says it's time for you to wake up and start your chores, Big Brother. If you don't, she's gonna break all your dollies again."

Mano scowled, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. "They're not DOLLIES, Roodaka, they're PUPPETS. Little girls play with dolls. If you must speak, then at least get it right. Otherwise, shut up."

Roodaka snickered, completely untouched by the remark. "Whatever you say, Big Brother. Better get up now, or you'll be in trouble and you'll have to live out on the streets like a stray Hapaka!"

"More's the pity." her brother muttered, but disentangled himself from his sheets and got up off the floor. "Alright, alright. I'm up. Happy?"

She looked him up and down, then nodded approvingly. "You're acceptable now."

He rolled his eyes, then strode past her and out of the room. "Better hurry up, Roodaka, or I'll eat all your food again..."

"Don't you dare!" Roodaka dashed out the door and down the stairs. Mano chuckled at her simplicity and merely ambled along. Why hurry when no one was all that eager to see your face?

His father had already left for the factory by the time he had ambled down the stairs (taking a good ten minutes to do so), and he breathed a sigh of relief. Breakfast with his father was uncomfortable at best, especially with the glares said male sent at him every couple seconds. At least his mother had the courtesy to make decent conversation and not glare while he was in the room.

"So, Mano, what's up for today?" she asked, setting a plate of meat in front of him. "Making more puppets?"

Mano shrugged, wolfing down his food. "I suppose."

Kino sighed. "If you must." She turned to her daughter. "School starts in twenty minutes, so don't you be late again, Roodaka. You hear me?"

Roodaka nodded, eyes widening innocently. "Why would I be late for school, Mother?"

Her mother gave her a look, but said nothing.

Mano, meanwhile, had gotten up from the table and set about washing the dishes using the spigot in the corner. Once they were clean, he walked over to his sister and said, "Alright, let's get going. You have to get to school, and I have puppets to build. Haven't got all day, you know."

"Mano..." Kino said warningly.

He sighed. "Are you ready to go?" he amended. Roodaka smirked. "Just a minute." She turned, packing her small bag with supplies up properly, then stood, shouldering it. "Let's go."

When they made it to the school after the five minute walk, she turned to her brother and smiled sweetly. "I have a surprise for you, so don't be late to pick me up, OK?"

Mano raised one eyebrow at her suspiciously. "If it's anything bad, I'll beat your butt till it bleeds, Roodaka."

Roodaka's smile, if anything, got sweeter. "How could you doubt me, Big Brother?" she asked in a voice so sugary that Mano might've vomited up a bucket of pink glitter. "You'll be absolutely SPEECHLESS when I give it to you."

Mano sighed, not willing to argue with her so early in the morning. Besides, his puppets were calling. "OK, whatever, Roodaka. Just get to class."

It was just his luck that only girls were allowed to go to school, he thought as three other girls about his sister's age passed him, each one giving him a disgusted look. He supposed he didn't look like the most desirable male around, being a much darker color than most Vortixx, male or female, were, but really, that was just plain rude. Just wait until he finished the design for that Kavinika wolf puppet he was making...it would be equipped with a Rhotuka launcher (not a real one, of course, only females were allowed to have THOSE), and there would be poison darts hidden in its mouth and both eyes.

Yes, it would be his masterpiece.

X x X

Three o'clock came too soon, however, and he was setting off to pick his sister up from school. The new puppet he had taken with him. Although not completed, he didn't want to let it out of his sight for the time being. Which was why he was currently waiting outside his sister's classroom, an oversized Kavinika puppet on his back. Strings attached to its paws and head were also wound comfortably around his fingers, and he entertained himself by making it wave to the females emerging from the classroom.

This earned him laughter, stares, sneers, and head shakes. He looked down at his hand and readjusted the strings there. No wonder it was waving so weirdly at that last girl - the string was loose.

"Are you done making a fool of me yet?" came Roodaka's voice, and Mano looked up with a dull glance. "No." he said, and went back to fixing his puppet. Roodaka rolled her eyes and kicked him in the shin. "Come on, stupid! I gotta show you that surprise, remember?"

"The one I'll be 'speechless' about?" Mano muttered, not at all enthusiastic, but got up all the same. Roodaka smiled. "Yeah, that one. Well, are you coming or are you not, Big Brother?"

"I'm coming, short one." he replied, smirking as she steamed at being called short again. Then her glare morphed into a sickly sweet smile, and she said, "Just you wait, brother dear - this surprise's gonna be absolutely awesome!"

"Sure." he muttered. "I don't even know what it is."

"Of course not!" Roodaka admonished. "If you knew, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

"No. I suppose not."

X x X

Thirty minutes later, they were still walking, and Mano began to get worried. They were at the beach now, and every sensible Vortixx male knew not to go near the beach. The Tarakava tribe that guarded the borders of Xia knew not to attack female Vortixx, but it was rare for a male to come by. And those few males were always trying to escape, in which case the Tarakava would catch and eat them. He shivered at the thought. Although he was now just as strong as the average adult male, he dreaded the thought of facing off against one of those monsters. It just wasn't right.

So why was Roodaka leading him straight through Tarakava territory? It was dangerous, even for a female. Especially if said female wasn't one of the ambassadors to another island. Those were usually the only ones Tarakava didn't attack. It really depended on the attitude of the trespasser. Mano severely hoped Roodaka's attitude was enough to keep any hungry predators away.

Finally, when she was about to go into a dark cave, into which he could not see, he decided he'd had enough. He stopped and put his foot down. "That's enough, Roodaka." he snapped. "We're late enough as it is, so either show me this surprise of yours, or let's get going. And I suggest you choose the latter of the two."

Roodaka pouted, although her eyes glinted with malice. "Oh c'mon, Big Brother! It's right in here!" She pointed into the cave. Mano shook his head, glare intensifying. "Heck no! I'm not going in there, Roodaka. No way."

She glared right back. "What, scared?" she snarled, putting both hands on her skinny waist. "Scared you'll get eaten, Big Brother?"

"No." Mano replied, not rising to her bait. "Smart enough to know that if I DO go in there, I WILL get eaten. And you know it too, don't you, you little snake?" He grabbed her arm and prepared to drag her off. "Just WAIT till I tell Mother. She'll beat the protodermis out of you."

She didn't answer, only smirked. He suddenly became aware of a shadow looming over them, and turned abruptly. His heart froze in his chest.

Dear Mata Nui, that was a big Tarakava.

It let out a screech and lunged at him, but he had already jumped, shoving his sister down as he did so. He landed on its head, then jumped again as it reached for him, fists curled. Mano could honestly say he was terrified. If he didn't get him and Roodaka out NOW, they would both be eaten. Or if only one got eaten, their parents were sure to kill the other one. Well, they wouldn't kill Roodaka (she WAS a girl, after all), but they WOULD kill him. Because he was a worthless male, not fit to lick Queen Tsuyayaka's feet.

Only one thing left to do, then.

Smirking, he took the puppet off his back, watching as it sprang to life under his capable fingers. Behind him, Roodaka watched with narrowed eyes.

She looked on as her older brother moved his hands, making the puppet, incomplete though it was (it had no tail or hind legs), attack the enraged, probably starving, beast. This wouldn't do at all, she decided. Her eyes narrowed even more as a stream of darts shot out of the puppet's mouth, hitting the Tarakava in the stomach. It screamed and lashed out blindly.

This was her chance!

She darted forward, and, with a snap of her teeth, cut the strings holding the puppet to Mano's left hand. And Mano didn't realize this until too late.

His blue eyes widened in horror as his puppet went slack...and then he was flying through the air to hit the cliff wall with a sickening crack. The Tarakava pounced on him, its teeth immediately going for his throat.

Roodaka smirked. Her foolish brother was unconscious, and, once that thing figured a way through the leather collar-like thing around his neck, he was doomed. Already, bright red blood had blossomed on his chest.

But then, two dark shapes raced past her, both armed with electrified staffs. The little Vortixx cursed. She knew who those were. They were two of the elite warriors on this stupid island, assigned to watching over the Tarakava tribe at all times, to keep them from attacking innocent people.

And unfortunately, Mano counted as innocent.

She watched impassively as the two drove the angry beast away from her brother and back into the cave, shouting at it to make it go faster. It screeched one last time and disappeared.

"You, girl!" the nearest one to her snapped, holding Mano in her arms, "this your brother?"

Roodaka sighed, but nodded. "Yes, he is."

"Who is your mother? He needs a hospital right now."

"How do you know he wasn't trying to escape?" she asked innocently, blinking her blue eyes up at the older female.

Said female frowned down at her while her companion (also female) had set about gathering the broken pieces of Mano's puppet. "I heard him arguin' with you, kid. That's how I know."

Roodaka chuckled nervously. "Oh. Uh, my mom. Yeah. My mom's Kino of the Crimson Mist."

The second Tarakava keeper whistled. "You and your brother are lucky, kiddo - Lady Kino's a tough one."

Roodaka shrugged. "She's alright."

She had no time to say more, as they had strode past her, beckoning her along. Mano's throat was bleeding very badly, that was easy to tell. Well, at least she'd done SOMETHING. It hadn't gotten rid of him, but she'd at least injured him pretty bad. A smirk wound over her face. Only a TRUE Vortixx could've pulled that off.

"Whew!" the second Tarakava keeper whistled, holding Mano's broken puppet up for her partner to see. "Look at this thing!"

"Yeah." the first keeper agreed. "Not shabby at all. Used to be a bunch of factories makin' those crazy battle puppets, but that was a long time ago. These things are pretty rare nowadays, an' so are puppeteers, come to think of it. How old would you say he is?"

"Dunno. Maybe about twelve?"

"He's eleven." Roodaka deadpanned, then wished she hadn't. That only managed to convince the two even more that her stupid brother was some sort of genius.

Stupid Mano.

Oh well, at least she wasn't the one with her throat torn out.

X x X

"How is he?" Kino asked anxiously as the nurse came out of her son's infirmary room several hours later. The nurse sighed tiredly and fixed the headpiece on the back of her head before answering.

"I'm really sorry, Lady Kino. He's not doing too good."

Zaku's fist tightened before he spoke. "What tha heck happened to our boy, woman?"

The nurse watched him nervously and babbled out, "Well, there was extensive damage done to his throat, especially the vocal organs. Sorry, Milady, but we couldn't fix it."

"So..." Kino trailed off, shocked.

"So your son's a mute now." The older Vortixx woman shook her head pityingly. "I don't think much of his chances, Milady. Even a male can go somewhere good if they say stuff right; it's how our society goes. But without a voice, well..."

"Without a voice, he can't go ANYWHERE." Kino sank into her chair numbly. "Dear Irnaak."

Zaku looked back and forth between his wife and the nurse who had treated his son. Roodaka was in the seat next to him, dead asleep. Not like she would have cared anyway, he knew. She would probably have laughed. "What kin we do now?" he asked angrily. "First his pansy attitude when he was younger, an' just when 'e started gettin' to be like a real man, THIS happens!" He slammed a fist down on his armrest, nearly breaking it. Roodaka mumbled in her sleep, but otherwise didn't stir.

Kino didn't wait for more to be said. She got up out of her seat and walked straight into the room where her oldest child lay, both hands on the bandages keeping his throat from quite literally falling apart at the seams. She slapped his hands away, gave him a huge smack upside the head, and pulled him into her arms.

Weak and strange as he was, he was still her little boy.

"Mother," Mano tried to say, but found he couldn't. He pulled away from her, looking stricken. Kino sighed, sitting down on the bed next to him. "This will be a little shock, Mano." she said quietly, stroking his head comfortingly. "You won't be able to talk anymore. That attack took out your vocal chords. Oh Mano, why'd you go over there? You KNOW it's forbidden..."

Mano simply stared at her, then at his hands (which were bandaged as well, presumably from when his puppet had shattered in them), and then at the ends of the bandages trailing from his neck. He felt his neck gingerly again, wincing at the sharp pain that produced. He wanted so much to tell her what had happened, that Roodaka had tricked him, but even if he could, he knew she probably wouldn't believe him. Or, if she did, she'd simply congratulate that little witch for her cunning. Sometimes, he really hated his life.

His mother stared at him sadly, then pulled him back into her arms. "When they let you out, you're not leaving the house, you hear me?" she said, waiting for the affirmative shake or nod of his head. To her relief, he didn't argue, only nodded like the good boy he'd always been. Although being a "mama's boy" was severely looked down upon on Xia, she couldn't help but admit that it was, in truth, her fault. She hadn't let him be around the other boys, knowing that they would hurt him, but what other choice did she have? Let her only son be torn apart daily by bullies? She would much rather have him by her side, where she could watch over him. After all, he was a smart boy. Already he had figured out the art of puppet making, a skill that was all but almost forgotten in the modern world. He had made his first puppet at the age of three. That was saying something, wasn't it?

She became aware of a wet substance raining onto her back, right below where her son's head lay over her shoulder. Was Mano really crying? Crying was another thing that was looked down upon, but given the circumstances...

Given the circumstances, she did what any good mother should do, and held him tighter.

Mano's sobs got quieter as his mother began to hum, an old lullaby about heartbreak and loneliness. Somehow, it comforted him, and with his mother's voice reverberating in his ears, he fell asleep, still in her arms.

X x X

"_Too beautiful...  
Too beautiful."  
--Sevendust, "Licking Crème"_

X x X

**AN: What a little brat. Haha, but no, I think she'd actually be very cute at that age...cute and EVIL. Nice combo.**

**Trivia: Originally, Mano and Roodaka were supposed to be partners, in a slave-and-master kinda thing. He was inspired by Gein from **_**Rurouni Kenshin**_** because at that point in time I had just started reading the Enishi arc, and he was supposed to try to avenge her defeat against the Toa Metru with his attack dolls. Then I decided to change it, because really? With her track record, she was BOUND to have done something to him at some point, hence why his current self wants her dead and on his shelf. The attack dolls became puppets because Gein's dolls reminded me a LITTLE too much of zombies for comfort XD And I thought puppets would probably be easier to control than dolls. Yup.**


	4. Weren't

**Yet another chapter...I might end up doing stories on some of my other Dark Hunters in TRNT, just to provide more light on them and who they are. What do you think?**

**Disclaimer: Pretty much anyone you don't recognize as canon is mine. Everyone else is property of The LEGO Company. "Licking ****Crème****" is property of Sevendust.**

**Summary: When your life is in my hands and I'm squeezing it out of you, will you love me then? The story of a Vortixx without purpose, learning what it's like to be the strong one in his life.**

**Beautiful In My Eyes  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_You want to feel it  
But you can't reveal that  
Conceived the meaning  
And caress the demon..."_

X x X

"No. I refuse to let him participate in such a mindless activity."

That was his mother's voice, coming from under the locked door. For once, the almost sixteen year old was grateful for his mute condition. Although what his mother was so worried about he didn't really know. It was just climbing a mountain after all.

"Kino, that boy needs a chance ta prove 'is strength. An' this's tha best opportunity we kin give 'im!"

"Don't say that. I don't care if it's the adult initiation rites, he'll be killed in an instant."

"No 'e won't, he'll have a partner with 'im--"

"A female that will most likely use his life as a barter for her own. You climbed that mountain before, Zaku. Every adult on this island has. You know what it's like. The only reason you survived was because the girl you were with couldn't jump as high as you."

Mano could hear his father shifting uncomfortably. "That was 'er own fault fer tryin' to feed me ta that mountain. Just my luck I managed to see what she was doin'."

"Exactly!" Kino snapped back. "Even if we were to find him the kindest eligible female to climb that mountain with him, it wouldn't do anything! He wouldn't be able to call for help, Zaku! He can't speak, remember?"

Unconsciously, Mano felt his throat, fingers slipping under the thick leather collar that marked him as not having passed his adult initiation rites. His fingers ran over the four grooving scars, and he grimaced. That collar was the only thing that had kept his throat from being torn out and his neck STILL bore evidence of his fight with the Tarakava five years ago. On the rare occasion that he left the house, he always felt all eyes in the vicinity go to his mangled neck, heard their derisive sneers as the moron who dared to go against a Tarakava armed with only a doll walked past.

There was a reason the Rahi in his district were rapidly disappearing. With some satisfaction whenever he heard the old ladies by the corner of the main street discussing it, he would walk past, the bandaged package on his back still twitching slightly.

He always smiled when he heard the theories. No one really cared, but for lack of better things to do, they talked about it. It was somewhat gratifying to know that he was behind the great mystery of the vanishing Rahi.

"Kino!" Zaku shouted, and a loud thump sounded, then he groaned in pain. "No." Kino's voice was shaky. "I don't care. Don't make me kill you, Zaku. I will. I swear I will. You don't love him. But I do. I love my little boy and I know he's not strong enough to climb the mountain. I won't let you throw away his life!"

Mano took a moment to marvel at his mother's weird love for him before it hit him. If he couldn't climb the mountain, he'd never get the collar off. And if he never got the collar off, he'd never be recognized as an adult in the community.

He drew in a shaky breath, wishing he had a voice so that he could scream. The bandaged thing on his back squirmed (he'd just come back home from another little...mission), and he slammed a fist into it. It stilled immediately.

Feeling somewhat murderous, he stomped up to his own room and slammed and locked the door. His eyes fairly sparkled as he ripped off the bandages to reveal the prize within - a half-dead Nui Rama. A feral grin wound over his face as he quickly ended its life and began to work.

The stinger would stay, he decided upon looking at it. It was long, stronger than most Rama's were, and also much thicker. Perfect for his newest toy.

Once he was done with the first part (removing the innards to replace them with wood and the various tricks and traps he had designed), he set the half-completed puppet on the floor and smiled. A full four hours had passed since he had started, and it was looking good. All that was left was a nice coat of preservatives to keep the original parts from rotting and smelling. How well the puppet was preserved was a huge part of his work, after all.

He found that making a puppet out of a body was much easier than a simple wooden thing. The shape was already intact, and one only needed to replace some simple things for it to be even deadlier. With the regular wooden ones, so much time was wasted simply designing them. Too much time. He needed to finish quickly and start on the next one as fast as possible.

Maybe he just enjoyed the thrill of knowing that he had so much potential in his hands and that one mistake could ruin it. Maybe it was the absolute exhilaration after bringing down his next subject using the last completed project he had worked on.

Or, he admitted privately, maybe it was the fact that whenever he used them in battle, he saw not the snarling Rahi ready to attack, but his own sister. Roodaka, now almost eleven, was still just as bratty as she had been when she was six, and it was his own private fantasy to slam both balled fists into her smug face.

His puppets were too good to be used on her. They were of too much worth. She deserved some more primitive method of killing, like being strangled or beaten to death. There was no way he'd use Kavinika or Nui Jaga on her. Not even Keetongu, his absolute strongest puppet. The Keetongu puppet was his absolute trump card. When he had found the corpse washed up on the beach, he had immediately known he'd come across some kind of treasure. Although it was too big to bring home, it hadn't mattered. There was no way he was letting the body of such a fabled beast go to waste. Instead, he had simply moved his tools to a nearby cave (after driving out the Tarakava occupants) and worked on it there. The giant puppet was now sitting in the room connecting to his, the room that only he had the key to. Every once in a while, he would catch Roodaka trying to get in there, but she always failed of course.

He was too good by now.

Someone knocked on the locked door, and he let out a silent groan. "Who is it?" he tried to call out, then scowled. Sometimes when he worked on his puppets for too long, he forgot things. Usually big things. Once, he had forgotten his father's name. Another time, he had forgotten that he really DID need sleep and worked until dawn, nearly collapsing at around ten in the morning.

With a sigh, Mano hastily mopped the obscene things off the floor, covered it with a worn out rug he had bought for that sole purpose, and answered the door. As he'd expected, it was none other than Roodaka. She was grinning. _Smug little witch..._ he thought in annoyance then looked at her expectantly.

"Mother says you need to come down for dinner cuz she's got somethin' to tell ya." she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him off. He just barely had time to slam his bedroom door before being forcibly dragged down the stairs. Once down there, he shook her off, scowling heavily.

Roodaka laughed. "Don't give me that look, Big Brother! Or I might give you another surprise." she added.

Mano's lips twisted in a sneer. _I'd like to see you try,_ he mouthed, knowing she would understand him. Once again, his younger sister laughed. "I'll do more than try, brother dear - and this time, it really WILL kill you."

He gave her a dull look, then shoved her into the nearest wall and walked into the small living area. Ignoring his sister's angry shrieks and his father's glare, he sat down at the table, patiently awaiting the meal.

A few minutes later, after Roodaka had stopped screeching and sat down as well and Kino had set plates on the table, Zaku spoke up.

"As you know," he cleared his throat, "your sixteenth birthday is in three days, Mano."

Mano looked up, excited. His father was about to give him his blessing to climb the mountain and wish him luck! He'd start preparing for the journey as soon as dinner was over. Which puppets to bring? Only two, probably small swift ones. Kavinika would do; she was a fast one, and maybe Gukko, in case he and his partner needed some aerial vision. Yes, he'd bring Kavinika and Gukko...now for his partner...

"And your mother an' me decided that you won' be climbin' the mountain."

Maybe Terah, across the street - wait, WHAT?!

He froze. Eyes wide, he stared in shocked horror at his parents, not even bothering to close his wide open mouth. To his left, Roodaka snickered, looking positively delighted.

Once again forgetting that he couldn't speak, Mano jumped up, pointing and tearing at his collar, and mouth moving wildly in a tirade. Luckily, it was silent because he was obviously going off on his father, but Zaku understood it all the same.

The older Vortixx male frowned. This WASN'T his fault, alright? It was Kino's. Now, if Mano had had a chance to climb that stupid mountain, he'd either get killed or pass the test and be recognized as a true adult of the society and finally be able to move out and get his own place.

Either way, he'd be out of both Zaku and Kino's headpieces. Personally, Zaku didn't care which option happened. Very few Vortixx fathers had very much to do with their children in the first place; and even less to do with them once they passed their adulthood rites. Didn't his son know that he wasn't the only one who was upset about the arrangements here? Did Mano really think that Zaku wanted to put up with him for the rest of his life?

Heck no, Zaku didn't!

His frown deepening, the older male backhanded his son across the face. Mano crashed to the floor, and not even Kino made a move to go to him. Her son's blue eyes, so much like her own, blazed such hatred up at her and her husband that she resisted the impulse to take a step back. Make no mistake, her sweet little boy was gone, replaced with something she would prefer never to see again. He may be weak, but she could tell it was all he could do not to tear them apart.

"Hear us out, Mano." she said, holding her hands up in peace, "We're not doing this because we think you're weak." She ignored her husband's snort and continued. "We're doing this because you're not ready yet. If you were to go up there, you'd die, Mano. Your partner would take advantage of you, and you'd be killed."

Mano wasn't listening, however. His eyes were fixed firmly upon his younger sister, who was visibly shaking. She could see his clawed hands shaking with barely suppressed rage and she shuddered. Wow. Her older brother really was holding back from launching himself at her and tearing her apart, limb from limb. His eyes had the same look she'd seen some of the shore defenders get during a particularly nasty would-be invasion.

"Mano." Kino said dangerously, noticing where her son was looking and recognizing the killing intent. "Go upstairs. NOW."

Still shaking with suppressed rage, Mano got up off the floor, leaving his meal largely untouched and bolted up the stairs. All three still in the room flinched when they heard his door slam hard enough to shake the rafters of the small dwelling.

"Now that that's cleared," Zaku spoke a moment later, "we gotta get at least one of 'em ta climb tha mountain. We'll be in disgrace othawise, Kino. Our boy bein' sixteen and not climbin' the mountain? Seriously. Kin you 'magine tha shame?"

"I can." Kino answered primly, taking a sip of her water and swallowing. "And I agree with you, however. We DO need one of our children to compete, but with Mano out and Roodaka being too young--"

"I can go, Mother!" Roodaka protested, slamming her small fist down onto the table. "I'd probably do it better than Mano can, anyway!"

Kino gave her a scowl. "Are you serious?" she asked. "You're not even eleven yet, Roodaka - much too young. Queen Tsuyayaka would NEVER allow it."

"How do you know?" Roodaka asked innocently. If there was one thing she was hellbent on doing, it was climbing that mountain. This was the perfect chance to show up that stupid brother of hers once again. "I've even got the perfect partner in mind."

"Oh really?" Zaku asked, interested. "Who migh' that be?"

"His name's Darakoo, and he lives about two streets away from us." she answered eagerly, knowing that if she could just convince him, he'd most likely convince her mother (the leader of the household) as well. "He does everything I tell him to, Father - if I told him to, he'd help me for SURE!"

"Kino--" Zaku began, but Kino cut him off. "Absolutely not." she snapped, her icy glare lethal. "If I won't put Mano through it, what makes you think I'll put YOU through it Roodaka?"

"Ask the queen." the little girl defended, adamant on getting her way. "She'll say yes, I know she will!"

Kino's glare darkened. "I shall." she snarled, "And you'll be the one paying for your stupidity when she punishes you for wanting to do it and then me for even daring to ask her about it."

"Then I shall simply have to suck it up." Roodaka answered sagely, taking a bite of her food. "But now that you've said you would, ask her tomorrow. I wanna ask Darakoo as soon as possible."

Zaku shook his head as his wife's glass of water exploded in her hand, having been squeezed much too hard. The scary thing was, he decided, was that that cup had been made completely out of hardened protodermis. He had learned the hard way to never mess with Kino of the Crimson Mist - he STILL had a scar where her sword had nearly impaled him, all those years ago when they had first met.

X x X

The Nui Rama he had so painstakingly made that day lay on the floor, broken in half. Excess body fluids leaked out from its shattered wooden frame, covering the floor. Mano sat between the broken pieces of his puppet, fiddling with the stinger. All he had to do was drive it into his chest and end it all...

No, he decided almost immediately after that thought crossed his mind. No, he wouldn't kill himself. Not yet, anyway. His father always said that suicide was the easy way out; a real Xian warrior would go down with style in some sort of epic battle. Not begging the gods to end his or her pain like a weakling. The gods rewarded those who could manage themselves. They burned weaklings.

_And I am NOT weak,_ Mano snarled mentally, his hands curling into fists. _I will kill them ALL. All of them, Mother, Father, Queen Tsuyayaka, and especially HER. I will kill her, rip her, tear her, maim her! I don't care what I have to do to achieve that goal, I WILL KILL THAT LITTLE WITCH!_

With a silent roar of rage, he picked up the broken halves of his newest puppet and smashed them into tiny little pieces.

X x X

The very next day, Kino came home from Queen Tsuyayaka's fortress in a towering rage. It seemed that the queen had indeed given her consent for Roodaka to participate in the mountain climbing event in her brother's stead, and had even gone so far as to warn Kino not to let this opportunity be passed up. It was extremely rare for such a young child to climb the mountain.

Needless to say, Roodaka was ecstatic, as was Zaku. This was an even better chance for the little Vortixx to prove herself. An even better chance for her to be put down for the next queen when Tsuyayaka died.

Mano stayed in his room the entire time. Not even the promise of the worst beating his father could inflict could coax him out.

Three nights later, his sister and parents returned home. As nearly everyone had expected, Roodaka had passed with flying colors - but the same could not be said for Darakoo, her partner. It seemed as if she had left him to satisfy the mountain's taste for blood while she finished the climb successfully.

But when they got home, they found the entire house completely and totally trashed. As Zaku loudly and angrily stated, it was as if a hurricane had blown through. He stomped up to his son's room, ready to interrogate him about this mystery, but when he opened the door, he only found more emptiness.

With the exception of a note on the wall, written in what he was sure was blood. It couldn't even be called a real note, either, for it was just five words.

_I WILL KILL YOU ALL._

Needless to say, Roodaka had simply smiled and told her parents it was for the best. If Big Brother hadn't wanted to stay, then let him be a weakling and run away. It was HIS problem, not theirs.

Zaku agreed readily to this, relieved to be rid of his son, but Kino was nowhere near as assured as her husband was.

In the past sixteen years he had been alive, her son had shown an amazing penchant for never breaking a promise.

And she was very sure he wasn't about to start.

X x X

"_All those callous eyes  
How they infect your world  
So you pretend to reason  
But you've lost your soul."  
--Sevendust, "Licking Crème"_

X x X

**AN: Pivotal moment here. Kino realizes she may have made a couple mistakes when it came to raising her kids. Though which of them she made the bigger mistake with is debatable. Since one turns into a double-crosser extraordinaire and the other ends up as a mass murderer and all...**


	5. So

**Aaaaaand probably the most important moment in Mano's life and the fic itself is here! Finally his life starts looking up XD**

**By the way, the leather collar thing in the last chapter is not a part of the canon; it****'s something that I came up with. Basically, at birth all Vortixx have a leather collar put around their necks to show that they have yet to climb the mountain and become an adult in society. Once they do, the collar is removed, and they are officially considered adults. Since Mano never climbed the mountain, his was never removed, which is why he still has it here and in TRNT.**

**Also - I wrote all of this WAAYYYY before very much official data about Xia came out, so please excuse any inconsistencies with the canon.  
**

**Disclaimer: Pretty much anyone you don't recognize as canon is mine. Everyone else is property of The LEGO Company. "Licking ****Crème****" is property of Sevendust.**

**Summary: When your life is in my hands and I'm squeezing it out of you, will you love me then? The story of a Vortixx without purpose, learning what it's like to be the strong one in his life.**

**Beautiful In My Eyes  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_I wish you weren't so beautiful in my eyes  
Crawling down your spine to make you stay..."_

X x X

The Kavinika's jaws came down hard on the spidery Rahi, effectively breaking its spine. Mano looked at it satisfactorily, nodded, and withdrew his puppet, taking the victim with it. He scrutinized it critically before sighing. On this little island in the middle of nowhere, there was no food. No GOOD food, anyway. But after a good seven centuries of living on his own, he had gotten used to it. Not even the thought of his mother's cooking was enough to bring him back to Xia. He'd die before he went back there.

He patted the Kavinika puppet on the head absentmindedly, completely forgetting that it wasn't alive. It was the latest Kavinika design he had thought of, and had only been completed a few weeks ago. He'd opted this time for sharpened blades instead of the blunt triangular ears he'd been using up until then and had found it to be satisfactory. Now he didn't have to waste poison darts. All he had to do was make the puppet ram its head into the victim.

The Kavinika design was one he was fond of, but his two personal favorites were definitely the Nui Jaga and the Nui Kopen, the first two puppets he had made out of actual bodies. Sometimes, he wondered what his Keetongu puppet would look like if he were to summon it. Like all of his puppets, he had a summoning spell placed on them, activated by the marionette controller he had built (and which was currently strapped to his back), but he had never bothered to go back and place it on his former trump card.

Pity. That thing was his masterpiece, the best one he'd ever made. He knew he'd never find another Keetongu to make another one out of. It was probably still in working order, though - Kino would have wanted to keep any memorabilia of him that she could. How strange that her so-called "love" for him was what had driven him away from her.

His naturally good hearing alerted him to his visitor's presence before he actually saw them, and he sat back, waiting. He was not disappointed.

"You are Mano of Xia, correct?"

To his surprise, the voice was high, clear. Sweet. Female. He hadn't been expecting a female to walk up to him. She didn't SMELL female, that was for sure.

She was small, but obviously dangerous. Before Mano could make a move, a blade was held under his neck, and he stopped, hands curling into fists.

"Don't move." the female said genially, as though they were enjoying a cup of tea instead of a potential battle to the death. "Rest assured, Mano, you won't be getting the better of Sentrakh."

_"__Sentrakh?"_ Mano mouthed, once again forgetting the fact that he couldn't speak, and was slightly embarrassed when she nodded. "You've heard of him, I assume? Yes, we are with the Dark Hunters. We have a proposal for you."

Mano frowned and, carefully, moved his hands, making a few signs. The female smiled. "No, it's not bad." she said. "We're here to offer you a chance in our organization."

The Xian froze. The Dark Hunters? Offering HIM a job? This would mean...an end to bad meals! An income of money! A decent place to rest his head every night! Decent storage for his puppets!

But there had to be a catch, he reminded himself. The Hunters were famous for that.

The female took in his narrowed blue eyes with a sigh. "No, there's no catch." she said as though reading his mind. "The Shadowed One has seen potential in you, Mano. You know that Xian woman that asked to be trained before? He didn't trust her, but a link to Xia is...desirable. You're the next best choice." She looked up at Sentrakh. "What was her name again?"

"Roodaka." he replied monotonously.

Mano's heart leapt and a second later, his large hand had taken her smaller one and shook it. _"I will join,__"_ he mouthed. If Roodaka had tried to join but couldn't...this was perfect! The Dark Hunters were an exceptional organization; they were practically an army! With them at his back, he could destroy the entire island of Xia...

"We have a deal then?"

He snapped out of it just in time to realize that their hands were still connected. A slight red tinge colored his cheeks as he snatched his hand back and nodded.

She smiled brightly. "Excellent! If not, we'd have to make you, and believe me, you wouldn't like that. My name's Lariska, by the way. Now, if you come with me, I can show you to our boat. We need to get going and tell the Shadowed One the news."

Mano followed her, shrugging Sentrakh off of his neck, almost forgetting that the bigger being was even there. There was something he liked about this Lariska girl. And whatever it was, he _REALLY_ liked it.

She told him about the organization on the way to Odina, the island the fortress was located on. He gathered from that information that she was very young - only a few centuries old, by his reckoning. He himself was around 760, by his reckoning. He wasn't very sure. He'd lost track of his age long ago. Lariska may have been young and very new to the organization, but she was apparently well-ranked - already she was the Shadowed One's second-in-command. Mano noticed a pair of throwing daggers held in sheaths on her plain leather belt. The blades of said daggers were a bright vibrant green that did not look natural. He suppressed a grin. Another similarity they had - they both used poison as a way of attack.

Odina was, surprisingly, not too far from the island he had been on when they had found him. Once there, he found himself being ushered into a huge stone fortress by Sentrakh and Lariska, the former of which melted into the shadows and left them almost immediately. Mano couldn't say that he minded. The entire time, his eyes never left the female dragging him through the fortress and up several flights of stairs by the arm.

He was therefore somewhat shocked when he was shoved into a room with what looked like a giant Kane-Ra on two legs. He turned back to Lariska, only to find her about to shut the door.

"You have to take an initiation," she explained in response to his narrowed eyes. "To make sure you're as good as you claim, you see...don't worry! If you're really that good, you'll pass without any trouble!"

The door slammed, the sound echoing in his ears.

No matter. Mano had dealt with several crazed Rahi in his life; one more wouldn't kill him. And this time, he had more than just survival and maybe a meal in mind. This time, one of the best job opportunities in the world was at his feet. And he wasn't about to let it go.

Plus, Lariska was very pretty, and for some odd reason, he wanted to show off. It surprised him, but he didn't really care. Either way, it would work out. If he failed, he would die, he was very aware of that. And if he won, he got everything. He just had to make sure to win completely.

His earlier thoughts drifted back to him, and he blinked. Was the Keetongu puppet still in working order? Even if it was, it didn't have the summoning seal placed on it! Did that really matter? He had MADE that thing with his own two hands; knew it like he knew the back of his hand.

To his delight, the summoning worked, and there was an audible gasp from the speakers in the upper corners of the room as it appeared in front of him with a bright flash. The strings were already attached to his hand, and he reveled in the old familiar smell of the puppet. Spirits, he'd missed this thing. And it was still in good order, too! Excellent!

_So, Mother, at least you turned out to be good for SOMETHING after all..._

He smirked and the monstrous puppet sprang to life.

X x X

"This shouldn't hurt...much."

A moan...wait, was that from HIS mouth?!

"Be careful, Ancient. If you mess this up, I'll have you executed."

"Don't worry. I did it. Alright, Mano, was it? Try to say something."

Mano moaned again, his throat aching abominably. What had they done to him? After defeating that giant Kane-Ra thing, he'd been dragged away to wherever the heck this was, and given some kind of weird drink that had put him to sleep right away. He'd woken only a few minutes ago, feeling very disoriented and with his throat hurting terribly.

"Say 'Mano'. Say your name."

"M...Ma..."

"Keep going. You're almost there."

"Ma...Mannnn...Mano."

"It actually worked?!"

That was Lariska's voice. Suddenly feeling less tired, Mano tried to sit up and greet her, only to be pushed back by the one called Ancient. "Don't get up just yet. Your throat's still really raw. I had to completely reroute everything in it. Try saying your name again."

"Mano...Mano...Mano...?"

"When will he be fully functional again?" the Shadowed One asked, folding his arms across his chest impatiently. "I didn't recruit him for him to be a lethargic lump."

Through bleary eyes, Mano saw Ancient smile. "It'll be a couple days before he can go on missions, but that's the way it is with nearly all new recruits after they fight Charger. Give it two, three, days? Then he'll be up and killing things again."

The Shadowed One smiled. "Good. Lariska, we have work to do. As soon as you're done in here, report to my office."

She nodded, and he swept out, the door slamming behind him. She sat on the edge of Mano's bed and smiled at him, chuckling as he smiled back wearily.

"So, you can talk now, eh?" she asked.

Mano nodded out of habit, then opened his mouth. "Yes..."

Great Spirits, his voice was raspy. But that would fade over time, once he got used to talking again. He was also pleased to notice that while raspy, his voice had also deepened over time. He sounded like an adult now. Not like the weak child he had been before.

Lariska fingered the thick leather collar around his neck. "Should we remove this?" she asked Ancient. "It could hinder his movement, right?"

Ancient shook his head, packing the medical gear away. "Not really. He beat Charger just fine with it on, didn't he?"

"Do you want it off?" she asked Mano, obviously determined to get her way. Mano sighed. "No. It is a...reminder of my...past. Leave it...on...please."

More than a reminder, it was also a link - the last real link to Xia he had. Even after all these years, it was still difficult to forget...

Ancient shrugged, putting the blade he had taken out of a random drawer away. "If you say so." He tugged the sheet of the bed over Mano's chest and made him lay down again. "Now, I know you're going to want to get up and explore, but you're still weak. That surgery took a lot out of you; I'm surprised you're even awake right now. Get some rest. Few days, you'll be up and about again."

Mano nodded, feeling his eyes drift close. He felt Lariska's weight leave the bed as well and heard the door quietly closing behind the two as they left.

A rare smile crossed his face as he laughed for the first time in over two hundred years.

Next stop...his old home, Xia. And his first victims would be Zaku and Kino, his parents. Presumably Roodaka would still be there as well, sulking over her rejection from the Dark Hunters. He loved that thought. While she hadn't even been allowed to take the initiation test, he had been ASKED to take it by the Hunters themselves.

Mano fell asleep then, dreaming of blood flying and the screams of the three individuals he hated more than anything else in the world.

X x X

"_I wish you weren't so beautiful in my eyes  
Covering your eyes to make you pay."  
--Sevendust, "Licking Crème"_

X x X

**AN: In **_**The Road Not Taken**_**, Mano was stated to have once had a thing for Lariska, which began about here. Being the first person to really treat him with respect, he was bound to have latched onto her...by the time TRNT begins, though, that's long over and done with.**

**Only one more chapter after this... **


	6. Beautiful

**Here we get to meet the early version of Tsuyayaka. She talks normally here, because this is kind of her prototype - as in, I didn't really start fleshing her out until she appeared in **_**The Road Not Taken**_**. Pity, since she ended up being such a fun character to work with.**

**Disclaimer: Pretty much anyone you don't recognize as canon is mine. Everyone else is property of The LEGO Company. "Licking ****Crème****" is property of Sevendust.**

**Summary: When your life is in my hands and I'm squeezing it out of you, will you love me then? The story of a Vortixx without purpose, learning what it's like to be the strong one in his life.**

**Beautiful In My Eyes  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_You shouldn't be so beautiful in my eyes  
Crawling down your spine to make you stay  
I wish you weren't so beautiful in my eyes  
Covering your eyes to make you pay..."_

X x X

"Intruder!" shouted the lookout on duty. "Intruder!"

Queen Tsuyayaka got up and peered through the telescope in the wall, green eyes scrutinizing the visitor critically.

"That's a Vortixx!" she exclaimed, straightening up. "And a male, no less!"

"But no males are allowed off the island..." the lookout protested, looking confused.

The queen nodded. "Yes. That is so. But...it seems we may have a stray come back to us." She set off for the door. "Greet him. And then report back to me in the fortress. I expect you within an hour."

The lookout nodded and dashed out the door, running for the boat that had just beached itself on the shore. She took the time to notice the odd contraption on the intruder's back, almost like a...marionette controller? How odd. The last Vortixx puppeteer had been that little runaway boy almost eight hundred years ago...that what's-his-name. Kino of the Crimson Mist's son!

"Hey, you there!" she shouted as she ran to him, "What business have you on Xia?"

The intruder smiled, and she shivered. "Nothing that is of your concern, female."

She barely had time to react to the jaws that clamped into her throat before something long and impossibly sharp pierced her back.

However things went, Tsuyayaka would not be hearing a report any time soon.

X x X

"At this hour?" Zaku grumbled, rubbing at his eyes sleepily as he opened the door. What he saw made his heart stop. It was almost like a perfect replica of himself when he was much younger, except the eyes. His eyes were green. This one's eyes were icy blue.

The same color, shape, and size as his wife and daughter's.

"Mano?" he whispered.

Mano grinned, and the four strings connected to the thing on his back sprang to life.

"Long time, no see, Father."

X x X

Kino's head jerked up as the front wall of her house exploded in a shower of rubble, and she jumped out of the bed, grabbing up her weapon as she dashed for whatever it was that had attacked.

Dust and smoke from the explosion clouded her vision, and she shielded her eyes with her hand. "Whoever's there, come out NOW!" she commanded, slipping into the voice she used only when on duty as one of the queen's guards. "Show yourself, or I'll--"

"You'll what?" the voice interrupted her coyly. "Put up a decent fight? Really, Mother, I'm ashamed. Eight hundred years and you don't even say hello? Hm. And Lord Shadowed One said that _I_ was rude..."

"M...Mano?" Kino gasped, lowering her tool in shock. The smoke had cleared well enough for her to see the shape of her son, now much taller and very broad shouldered, grinning at her with the icy blue eyes he had inherited from her. He could talk again?! What had happened to him? This was not the child she had raised over two hundred years ago. She felt a shudder of fear run through her.

_I WILL KILL YOU ALL._

"My little boy..." she whispered.

"I'm not your little boy anymore." her son snarled, advancing on her, both hands with strings attached to the fingers outstretched. "You threw that aside the moment you denied me my dream!"

She felt tears streaming down her cheeks, and in spite of herself, she smiled. The tool clattered to the ground. "I knew you'd keep that promise."

Mano struck, and Kino fell.

She was dead before she hit the ground.

X x X

He searched and searched and searched, but no luck. Roodaka was gone. He had found her room, and it had obviously been recently used. It still smelled like her, but there was an overwhelming fragrance of fear and shock. A smile spread slowly over his face, and he began to laugh.

She was scared of him, of what he would have done to her if she had stayed! His baby sister, who had caused him so much pain and grief, was scared of him!

Laughter rang from his newly healed throat as he spun on his heels, the two puppets attached to his hands leading the way.

Soon, screams erupted from the streets.

Mixed in with those screams was wild, manic laughter.

X x X

His revenge wasn't quite completed, but he didn't care.

They were smiling now, and it was all because of him.

Sitting on the shelf of his room, smiling at him.

So long denied him...

Not one person from his old district still lived. They were all dead, and by his hand. And he had several new toys.

Slowly, he placed the last one on the shelf, tilting the mouth up into the same smile as the rest of them had. Admiring. Loving. All for him. Him.

"Wasn't that a little harsh?" Lariska's voice sounded from behind him. Mano felt the familiar flutter of his heart, and took a deep breath before turning to face her.

"They deserved it." he said lightly, then pointed. "But they don't mind. See, they're smiling."

Lariska studied him for a moment, then shook her head. "I see." She quietly turned and shut the door of his room behind her, leaving him alone without another word.

Mano smiled again, and turned back to the shelf. "You're smiling now, right? And you're happy. I just made you happy, didn't I? Yes, you're right. I did."

He was slightly aware of the lone tear trickling down his cheek, but he wiped it away without batting an eye.

They didn't hate him anymore.

The smiles they had so long denied him were forever pasted on their faces.

X x X

"_Too beautiful...  
Too beautiful...  
Too beautiful."  
--Sevendust, "Licking Crème"_

X x X

**END**

X x X

**AN: There we go, it's over. Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed! Hope you enjoyed it!**


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